Tag Archives: James Rybicki

Mar 16 2018

Contreras Recusal Conflict – FBI Agent Peter Strzok Friends With Flynn Judge Rudolph Contreras…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House  on March 16, 2018 by

For those following the increasingly curious case against General Mike Flynn, events take another unusual turn today.  Congressional investigators have shared a set of unredacted text messages between FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his cohort DOJ Attorney Lisa Page which reveal a personal friendship between Agent Strzok and Flynn’s initial presiding judge Rudolph Contreras.

On November 30th, 2017, Mike Flynn signed a guilty plea; ostensibly admitting lying to investigators.  The plea was accepted by Judge Rudolph Contreras; who is also a FISA court judge.  Six days later, December 7th, 2017, Judge Contreras “was recused” from the case without explanation.

The case was reassigned to DC District Judge Emmet Sullivan.  The Contreras recusal always seemed sketchy. The key question was: if the conflict existed on December 7th, wouldn’t that same conflict have existed on November 30th, 2017?

Today questions about the conflict seem to have been answered. Text messages between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page reveal the FBI agent and Judge Contreras were close personal friends.  –SEE HERE–

Apparently DOJ lawyer Lisa Page was unaware that “Rudy” was a FISA court judge until July 25th, 2016, when she posited a question to her small group co-conspirator FBI agent Peter Strzok.

[Page is ‘outbox’, Strzok is ‘inbox’]

PAGE: Rudy is on the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]! Did you know that?” “Just appointed two months ago”

STRZOK: “I did. We talked about it before and after. I need to get together with him.

Contreras was appointed to the FISA Court court in May 2016.  The FISA court approved a Title-1 Surveillance Warrant against Trump campaign aide Carter Page on October 26th, 2016, essentially placing the entire Trump campaign under FBI surveillance.  That surveillance was then used against incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

The FBI agent questioning Michael Flynn in January 2017 was Peter Strzok.  The judge presiding over the sketchy Flynn plea, an outcome of that interview, was Strzok’s friend Judge Rudolph “Rudy” Contreras.  Therein lies the conflict.

However, that said, it must be emphasized that -despite the existing conflict- Contreras did not recuse himself from the initial Flynn pleading.  Contreras allowed himself to sit on the case on November 30th, when the plea was made.  It wasn’t until six days later, December 7th, 2017, that Contreras “was recused” from the Flynn case.

So what happened between November 30th and December 7th, 2017?

It became public knowledge that personal communication between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page was captured by IG investigators.  That’s what happened.

Think about it.

Think about when everything began to break out from the headlines about the IG investigation, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Bruce Ohr and his wife Nellie Ohr, and the corrupt small group activity within the FBI and DOJ team effort.  It would be intellectually dishonest not to note all of the FBI conspiracy revelations happened immediately after Mike Flynn signed the guilty plea.

When we say “immediately after”, we mean the very next day…. on a weekend. (Saturday and Sunday)

Within a matter of days between December 1st and December 7th, 2017, the reports of gross malfeasance within the DOJ and FBI went from a snowball to an avalanche. Peter Strzok (demoted), Lisa Page (removed), Bruce Ohr (demoted 2x), Nellie Ohr working for Fusion GPS; troubling communication with FBI chief-legal-counsel James Baker(demoted); evidence of FBI Deputy Director Andrew “Andy” McCabe’s involvement in a small group conspiracy (removed); FBI Communications head Michael “Mike” Kortan was outed (he quit); McCabe’s Chief of Staff James Rybicki was outed (he quit); etc.  The list goes on.

Judge Rudolph Contreras, now exposed as a fellow ideological traveler and personal friend of the principal agent amid the scheme only raises more questions.  Rudolph Contreras also has a strong ideological relationship with former Attorney General Eric Holder, President Obama’s notoriously political DOJ wingman:

2012 […] From 2006 until his appointment, Contreras was chief of the civil division in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. He’s the third person to hold that job before being appointed to the D.C. court, joining Chief Judge Royce Lamberth and Judge John Bates.

Contreras began his career at Jones Day law firm after earning his J.D. in 1991. Gregory Shumaker, partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Washington office, spoke yesterday about first meeting Contreras when Shumaker was running the firm’s summer associate program. He said Contreras had a gift for connecting with people, a skill that would serve him well on the bench.

In 1994, Contreras was hired by Eric Holder Jr., then the U.S. attorney for D.C., to join that office. Mark Nagle, vice president and general counsel for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp. and Contreras’ predecessor as civil division chief, spoke about Contreras’ many victories, including his time leading the city’s Medicaid fraud unit.  (read more)

There’s more than a general likelihood Judge Contreras was granting, FBI investigative and DOJ prosecutorial, leeway for the ideological endeavors of the DOJ/FBI “small group” given his personal and professional relationships.

But the entire fact-pattern still doesn’t answer a nagging 30,000 foot question:  Did someone intercede and recuse Judge Rudolph Contreras from the Flynn case? -OR- Did Judge Contreras recuse himself *after* he realized his relationship with Strzok was exposed?   The former seems likely, the latter less so.

Judge Collyer was the FISA judge who wrote the eye-opening 99-page opinion of the FISA abuses reported by NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, DOJ National Security Division head John P Carlin, and FBI Director James Comey.

Presiding FISA Court Judge Rosemary Collyer might have been the same Presiding FISA Judge who -holding concerns over ongoing FISC revelations in late 2017- recused Rudolph Contreras from further contact with the Flynn case. The other option for a forced recusal would the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts.

Mar 16 2018

Shakeup at State


Published on Mar 15, 2018

Rex Tillerson is out as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo is in, and who is the woman who might become the next CIA director? Let’s find out.
Mar 16 2018

Chairman Devin Nunes Discusses Ending HPSCI “Muh Russia Collusion” Investigation…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on March 16, 2018 by

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes appears on Fox News at Night to discuss the ending of the Trump-Russian investigation and the continuance of the ongoing FISA abuse and FBI/DOJ corruption investigations.

Part of the interview surrounds the new request by Senator Chuck Grassley for a second special counsel. As Nunes notes the Grassley request is almost identical to his own.

Mar 16 2018

Chuck Grassley and Senate Judiciary Committee Request Second Special Counsel – (video and pdf)…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on March 16, 2018 by

Chairman Chuck Grassley along with republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are formally requesting a second special counsel to investigate the FBI and DOJ involvement in the Clinton-Steele Dossier.

The republicans asked Office of the Inspector General to explore the FBI and DOJ’s handling of dossier in February; but now they are requesting Attorney General Jeff Sessions and DAG Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel (full pdf below) because the IG does not have the ability to obtain testimony from witnesses who are not DOJ employees. This is the same motive of request from HPSCI Chairman Nunes and Trey Gowdy.

During House and Senate investigation it was discovered that officials in other agencies, namely the State Department, were involved in the dossier’s use prior to the October 26th, 2016, FISA application and after the 2016 election. At least one person directly in the State Department was in contact with Christopher Steele.

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/373986084/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-rFiCaCdHIaRlneqy2gMx

Previously AG Jeff Sessions stated he already assigned a prosecutor from outside Washington DC to work with Inspector General Michael Horowitz –SEE HERE-; so I’m not exactly sure if Chairman Grassley will get a different response than that already given to Chairman Nunes.

Mar 16 2018

Intelligence PR Firm Gets Caught in Leak Trap – WaPo Runs Story of McMaster Firing…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on March 15, 2018 by

The leaks are real; the news is fake. That’s the underlying dynamic behind ‘Black Hat Hunting’.

The PR Firm for the corrupt U.S. intelligence apparatus known as The Washington Post, runs a story about H.R. McMaster being fired tonight.

The Washington Post quotes “five people with knowledge of the plans”.

Except there’s a problem, there are no plans.

No plans except to entrap staff and intelligence community leakers; likely those five ‘leakers’ are in/around the National Security Council, and they just got caught.

WaPo – President Trump has decided to remove H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser and is actively discussing potential replacements, according to five people with knowledge of the plans, preparing to deliver yet another jolt to the senior ranks of his administration.

Trump is now comfortable with ousting McMaster, with whom he never personally gelled, but is willing to take time executing the move because he wants to ensure both that the three-star Army general is not humiliated and that there is a strong successor lined up, these people said.  (read more)

(Sarah Sanders Link)

…”The leaks are real, the news is fake.”

Mar 15 2018

Broward County Releases CCTV Video of Parkland School Shooting and School Deputy Inaction…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on March 15, 2018 by

A surveillance video released on Thursday shows a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Parkland, Florida high school staying outside while a former student fatally shot 17 people, according to the sheriff’s office.
The 27-minute video shows Broward County Deputy Sheriff Scot Peterson failing to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where he worked as an armed guard.

The majority of the video shows Deputy Peterson cowering under a stairwell [01:30] between two of the buildings.

Peterson resigned on Feb. 22 rather than face suspension. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has said Peterson stayed outside the high school during the attack, instead of going inside to confront the gunman.  “The video speaks for itself. His actions were enough to warrant an internal affairs investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement accompanying the video’s release following a judge’s order on Monday.

Mar 15 2018

Chris McDaniel Will Run for Open Mississippi Senate Seat…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on March 14, 2018 by

Announcement from senate candidate Chris McDaniel – Today, Chris McDaniel announced that he will run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Thad Cochran. The seat will become open on Aprl 1, the date of Cochran’s retirement.

Cochran’s departure from the Senate will trigger a special election to fill his unexpired term. McDaniel has been getting a lot of encouragement from his supporters to run in the open seat. Supporters say an open seat is the best path for McDaniel to win election to the United States Senate.

“By announcing early, we are asking Mississippi Republicans to unite around my candidacy and avoid another contentious contest among GOP members that would only improve the Democrats’ chances of winning the open seat,” McDaniel said. “If we unite the party now and consolidate our resources, we can guarantee Donald Trump will have a fighter who will stand with him.”

The open seat is the same seat McDaniel competed for in the 2014 Republican primary where he received the most votes with 49.5 percent of the total. Cochran, however, prevailed after 40,000 Democrats voted in the GOP run-off, giving Cochran a win by just over 6,000 votes.

Donors looking to increase the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate that would like to avoid a contentious primary in deep red Mississippi have strongly supported the idea of McDaniel running in the open seat. Many GOP donors complained about the recent election in Alabama where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, alone spent more than $8 million to target conservative Congressman Mo Brooks. That effort led to Roy Moore winning the Republican nomination and subsequentely being defeated by Democrat Doug Jones, the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in conservative Alabama since Richard Shelby, now a Republican, won in 1992.

“When you look at how the establishment works to keep conservatives like Mo Brooks from winning a U.S. Senate seat only to lose the seat entirely, you have to conclude that Mitch McConnell and his lieutenants would rather lose a seat to a Democrat than elect a conservative,” said McDaniel.

“It’s no secret that the Mississippi Republican establishment has been coordinating with Mitch McConnell to do everything in their power to keep me from getting elected to the United States Senate, just as they did with Mo Brooks,” said McDaniel. “Mitch McConnell wants to hand-pick our next Senator. I understand why. It’s because they know that I won’t be answering to them, I’ll be answering to the voters of Mississippi and putting Mississippi first.”  – Visit Campaign Website HERE

For those who were unaware…. long before any announcement from presidential candidate Donald Trump, he was paying close attention to the 2014 primary challenge mounted by Chris McDaniel against GOPe decepticon Thad Cochran.

Long after the Mitch McConnell and Haley Barbour corrupt GOP political apparatus targeted McDaniel…. Trump never forgot:

That’s Mitch Tyner (circled), Chris McDaniel’s lawyer who was standing shoulder-to-shoulder fighting against the GOPe regime.

 

Mar 15 2018

Good Grief – Palm Beach “Known Wolf” Teenage Jihadist Had Extensive FBI Monitoring…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on March 15, 2018 by

This update is almost unbelievable; almost.

A 17-year-old Jihadist in Palm Beach Florida stabbed three people, killing one, over the weekend – BACKSTORY HERE.

Corey Johnson admitted to police he was inspired by ISIS and carrying out the attacks on behalf of Islam.   Yesterday local, state and FBI officials also admitted that he was “on their radar“, uh huh.

Well, you’re likely not going to believe how extensive their radar contact and monitoring was.

As an example: they were mirroring his social media in real time; they knew he had contacts with ISIS; they knew he was behind international threats; the FBI was ‘actively‘ monitoring him; and all the officials met several times to discuss the likelihood his unstable behavior might lead to much worse.  But they didn’t want to take action, because he was a minor, and preferred “redirection” or diversionary programs to change his behavior.

FLORIDA – […] In January 2017, several local law-enforcement agencies and the FBI came together with the staff at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, where he was a student at the time. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office received information that Johnson supported the terrorist organization ISIS and had reached out to the group online, expressing his desire to join them.

A sheriff’s detective interviewed Johnson for a mental-health assessment and said the teen sympathized with terrorist organizations, the report said.

Palm Beach County School District Police said that during middle school, Johnson made anti-Semitic and anti-homosexual statements. He also said he had similar beliefs to the KKK. School police said they received information that Johnson “has violent tendencies,” “has spoken about inappropriate places to bomb” and “is a White Supremacist.”

[…] After the meeting, the FBI told Jupiter police that a counter-intelligence agency in Europe investigated Johnson’s connection to several threats made on Instagram to McAuley Catholic High School in Doncaster, England. Though the report does not say what the threats were, authorities said they “were so severe in nature that up to 100 students were removed from the school fearing some kind of attack.” British news outlets reported that in October 2016, a threat posted on Instagram stated “we will kill every single infidel student at this school.”

[…]  law enforcement monitored Johnson’s movements and his social-media accounts, and interviewed his family. Authorities noted his Facebook account had the image of a swastika as its profile picture.

Initially, the FBI did not want to charge Johnson because he was a juvenile and “believed a redirection approach would be the most beneficial regarding his conduct.” So in March 2017, the FBI got consent to “mirror” Johnson’s computer activity.

Additionally, they spoke with the teen —who denied any affiliation with ISIS — and told him “to cease all social media activities related to ISIS and any other terrorist organization” and have no further contact with the Catholic high school in England, the report said.

By the summer of 2017, the FBI said Johnson was back to making more online posts and that they were working to bring official charges against him, according to the police report. (please keep reading – it gets worse.)

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Mar 14 2018

FBI Office of Professional Responsibility Recommends AG Jeff Sesssions Fire Andrew McCabe…


Re-Posted from the Conservative Tree House on March 14, 2018 by

A very interesting dynamic today, with a motive that may not be as transparent as initially appears. The New York Times and Washington Post are both reporting the FBI’s internal Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has recommended to AG Jeff Sessions that FBI Asst. Director Andrew McCabe should be fired.

The reason for the recommendation surrounds the DOJ Inspector General discovering that FBI Asst. Director Andrew “Andy” McCabe intentionally leaked information about the Clinton investigation to the media, and coordinated the leaks therein.  The IG referred the issue to the FBI’s internal OPR for review and recommendation to the Attorney General. The Times and Post are leaking information of the determination by the OPR that Andrew McCabe should be fired.

(NYT) […] Now, Mr. Sessions is the final arbiter of Mr. McCabe’s dismissal, shortly before his retirement takes effect Sunday. Though no decision has been made, people inside the Justice Department expect him to be fired before Friday, a decision that would jeopardize his pension as a 21-year F.B.I. veteran. (link)

If AG Jeff Sessions fires McCabe for cause, the former FBI Deputy could, likely would, lose his pension and benefits.  McCabe is scheduled to retire with those benefits on March 20th, six days from now.

The dynamic is interesting.  An OPR recommendation for disciplinary firing puts AG Jeff Sessions into a box; he has two options:  Option #1 is fire McCabe.  Option #2 is set aside the OPR ruling and allow McCabe to retire.  Sessions has to take one of those two actions.

On one hand you could make an argument the Office of Professional Responsibility’s disciplinary recommendation is (Good Guys) trying to hit and punish McCabe at the last moment possible.  However, on the other hand you can look at this leaked disciplinary recommendation as Machiavellian characters (Bad Guys) within the FBI setting up AG Sessions, painting him into a corner, to create yet another controversial storyline.

My guess as to the FBI OPR motive is the latter, not the former, and here’s why.

First, the OPR recommendation is leaked.  We are all too familiar with the IC leaks to the New York Times and Washington Post being 100% constructed by illicit schemers within the intelligence community who are against the Trump administration.  This truism is transparent from the history of the leaking.  All leaks frame a narrative that only goes in one direction. All leaks are against the people’s president, Donald Trump.

Second, and perhaps more convincingly, the recommendation is coming from the Office of Professional Responsibility inside the FBI.  Think about that carefully.

If there was an actual OPR office – containing any semblance of professional watchdog intent – then where the hell were they over the past few years while the entire organization was engaged in brutally corrupt activity.

Now, only RIGHT NOW, the FBI-OPR has issues with McCabe et al?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!

Where was the OPR while the entire administrative apparatus of the FBI was leaking to the media, constructing false witness, assembling fraudulent investigative materials, conducting sham investigations with predetermined outcomes; blocking congressional oversight, and generally behaving like a rogue political intelligence apparatus?

Seriously, where was the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility then?

No.  Sorry.  Not even beginning to buy the angle of a decent department watchdog doing their level-best to bring justice upon the head of a corrupt FBI political operative, Andrew McCabe.  I’m not buying it.

The motive for this FBI watchdog leaked internal story today, and the OPR recommendation therein, is most likely to create yet another antagonistic controversy.  The FBI Machiavelli schemers are still doing their duplicitous crap.

If Attorney General Jeff Sessions fires McCabe, the controversial narrative is that he’s desperately doing the bidding of President Trump who has tweeted about McCabe being corrupt and unaccountable.

If Attorney General Jeff Sessions doesn’t fire McCabe, the controversial narrative is that Session’s is showing more evidence of his own weakness and motive to protect the swamp creatures; which will make Sessions seem like he is in alignment with McCabe and simultaneously anger the President and all his supporters.

The FBI-OPR has painted Sessions into a narrative of controversy either way…. and the leak about it seems to prove the FBI’s internal Machiavellian intent.

See how that works?

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Mar 14 2018

Solutions for Dealing with the Media: James O’Keefe and Bill Whittle


Published on Jan 2, 2018
At Turning Point’s Student Action Summit, James O’Keefe and Bill Whittle sit down to discuss their experiences in dealing with bad faith in the media.